


Alone In The Dark

by infinite_stars



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 02:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17112938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinite_stars/pseuds/infinite_stars
Summary: "There is a sorcerer in Camelot and he has been here for a while now, unnoticed by anyone. And what is worse, said sorcerer has infiltrated the royal court. Admittedly, that might be partially my fault." The king lowered his voice before adding that last sentence.Arthur just stared at his father in confusion. "Who are you talking about? I'm pretty sure we'd know if a sorcerer had infiltrated Camelot. And even if so, how could that be possibly your fault?"Uther didn't look at him when he finally replied. "Because I was the one who made him your servant!”When Arthur is summoned by his father in the middle of the night, he has no idea, what's about to happen. Uther believes that Merlin is a sorcerer. After informing Arthur about it, the prince has to make a decision that could not only affect his life, but change the fate of Camelot.





	Alone In The Dark

Arthur strode down the corridors towards the council chamber. It was dark outside and his way was only lit by the warm light of the torches on the wall. The prince could merely wonder why his father would summon him in the middle of the night. He had sent Merlin home hours ago and was already lying in bed when one of his knights knocked on his door and told him that the king had requested his presence in a matter of urgency. Not knowing why the matter of urgency couldn’t wait until the morning, Arthur had quickly dressed himself and was now walking towards the council chamber. 

Maybe there was an attack in the middle of the night or a stranger was found inside the castle. But surely they would have rung the warning bell in that case. Except- Maybe they didn’t want the intruder to know that he had been seen and didn’t want to give him a chance to escape. 

Arthur brushed those thoughts aside when he arrived at the door to the council chamber. He was about to find out any second. Still not knowing what to expect, two knights opened the door for him and the crown prince stepped inside the room. His father was already waiting for him. 

As soon as the doors closed behind him the king turned around to look at his son. "Arthur", was all Uther said to greet him. "Father", Arthur replied, "why-", but Uther interrupted him. "It is urgent". "So I was told", said the prince. "Besides, you wouldn't summon me at this time if it wasn't. So what is it? Is there an intruder in Camelot?" The king looked at him for a moment before he spoke again. "Well, one could certainly say that." Arthur waited patiently for his father to continue, but he furrowed his eyebrows in concern at the dark undertone in the king's voice. 

"There is a sorcerer in Camelot and he has been here for a while now, unnoticed by anyone. And what is worse, said sorcerer has infiltrated the royal court. Admittedly, that might be partially my fault." The king lowered his voice before adding that last sentence. 

Arthur just stared at his father in confusion. "Who are you talking about? I'm pretty sure we'd know if a sorcerer had infiltrated Camelot. And even if so, how could that be possibly your fault?" 

Uther didn't look at him when he finally replied. "Because I was the one who made him your servant!” 

A heavy silence followed his words. 

Arthur just stood there and stared at his father as if the latter had just lost his mind. Uther couldn’t be serious about that. Merlin? A sorcerer? Arthur raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Merlin is a sorcerer?” The prince emphasized the first and last word as he spoke out loud what he had just thought two seconds ago. “Father, that’s ridiculous! Merlin isn’t a sorcerer. Have you met the man? He isn’t even able to make three steps without stumbling over his own feet. There is no way, that Merlin is capable of using magic!" 

He really can't be. If Merlin had such a powerful weapon, he'd be dead already, as clumsy as he is. Either, he would have messed up a spell or he would have revealed his magic by accident. In the second case, Merlin definitely wouldn't have lived to see another sunrise, for his father would have had him burned first thing in the morning. And even though Merlin is a horrible manservant, he didn't quite like the thought of that. But that's exactly what's going to happen to his idiot of a servant if he can't persuade his father, that Merlin isn't a sorcerer. 

Before Arthur even had a chance to say something, Uther started to talk again. "He wants us to believe that he is not capable of using magic so that we do not suspect him. It is all pretence, Arthur. Can you not see it? He was fooling everyone to this day. But not any longer. His charade is over! He was seen using his magic!" 

"By whom?", Arthur demanded to know. 

"By two men, who were searching the forest for some firewood." 

"And you just believe them?" Arthur couldn't accept that his father took them at their word. 

“Do you question my decision, Arthur?”, his father challenged and Arthur knew, he had to choose his next words wisely. 

“Well, I just think that you shouldn’t-“, he was interrupted again. 

“You do not tell me what I should and should not do! Is that understood?”, shouted his father and Arthur knew better than to continue the argument. 

“Yes, father. My apologies. I didn’t mean to question your decisions.” He lowered his head to show respect to the king and to stress that he meant his words. Even though he really didn’t. He couldn’t believe that his father based those accusations against his servant on the words of two men. They could have been lying. There was no actual proof that Merlin is a sorcerer. That thought still sounded completely absurd to him. If Merlin were a sorcerer, he'd definitely know about it. His servant couldn't keep any secrets, especially not from him. With that thought, Arthur turned his attention back to his father. It seemed like the fake apology had worked. When the king spoke again, his voice was calm. 

"Arthur, I know that this is a delicate matter, so I wanted to inform you about it, before giving the order to seize the sorcerer and to ring the warning bell. The people need to be warned and vigilant, in case he tries to make an escape." The king paused and, after seeing Arthur's troubled look, he added "You will have a new servant by tomorrow morning of course. No need to worry." 

Arthur tried to look relieved at that but found he couldn't, since that was not what had him worried in the first place. Luckily, his father didn't notice. The king had already turned towards the entrance to the council chamber and had called out for the guards. The two knights, who had earlier opened the door for Arthur, now stepped into the room. 

"My king", they said in unison, when they came to a halt a few feet away from the prince and his father. 

Uther started to speak immediately. "There is a sorcerer in Camelot. Go to Gaius' chamber and seize the boy Merlin. Be careful, he could be dangerous. And don't forget to ring the warning bell. The people must be warned. After you have caught the sorcerer, bring him here, so I can officially pass the sentence. After that, you can already start preparing the execution. Merlin is to be burned at the stake first thing tomorrow morning!" 

"Yes, Sire!” The knights bowed quickly before they turned around to leave the room. 

“No, wait!”, Arthur exclaimed without thinking. 

“What is it?”, the king asked, clearly irritated. The guards stood rooted to the spot, looking at each other as if they weren't sure if they should follow the king's order, despite Arthur's command. 

The prince didn’t know what to say, he only knew that he needed to say something. Anything. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Merlin burn because of what two men had claimed to have seen. But he knew his father wouldn’t change his mind, so Arthur had to think of something else. He had to come up with a plan, but he needed more time. 

“Arthur, I swear to god, if you do not start talking within the next three seconds-”, the king hissed, but was interrupted by his son. 

“Father, I don’t think that that’s a good idea”, Arthur stated, his voice calm. Before the king had a chance to ask what Arthur is talking about or, what’s more likely, start yet another rant about respect and authority, his son already started to explain. “If you ring the warning bell, Merlin will wake up and know that something is wrong. He’ll hear the guards coming. He'll just escape before the knights even have the chance to burst into his chambers. He's a sorcerer after all." Arthur wasn't sure if what he said made any sense, but now he had his father's undivided attention. 

"So what do you suggest?", the king asked after a minute of contemplation. 

"Let me handle this", the prince said, staring intently at his father. "I'll go to Merlin's chambers and ask him and Gaius to come with me to an emergency council because of an attack at the eastern border. The moment we enter the room, the knights can seize him and you can pass the sentence." His father, who had been holding his gaze, now turned to look at the floor in contemplation. Arthur just hoped that the king didn't wonder why his son was suddenly so eager to catch Merlin when a few minutes ago he was questioning his father's decision. Fortunately, Uther didn't seem to be bothered by that. 

"You are right", he said, facing his son once again. "You should go immediately! The sooner we have a hold on him the better!" 

"Yes, father!" Arthur was about to leave but stopped on his way out. He'd just had an idea. It wasn't ideal, but he didn't have enough time to think about another, better plan. His father was telling the knights to double the guards in case something didn't go according to plan when he realized his son was still there. 

"Is there anything else?", he demanded with raised eyebrows. Arthur hesitated. 

"Yes, actually there is", he finally said. "Before I go to fetch the sorcerer, I'd like to check on Morgana, make sure she's alright. That she's safe." 

Uther dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "I have already positioned two knights in front of her chamber to do so and I can send another knight to see that she is safe.” 

“No offence, but I’d rather check on her myself and give the guards instructions to assure the safety of Lady Morgana”, insisted the man with the blonde hair. The king sighed. 

“Alright, but don’t take too long. I can’t afford to have a sorcerer on the loose!” 

“Thank you, it won’t take long.” 

When he was finally on his way out of the council chamber, he heard his father calling after him to be careful. ”I will”, he said, but he didn’t turn around again.

Once the door of the council chamber was closed behind him, Arthur took a deep breath. He was still trying to process what had just happened. His father thought that Merlin was a sorcerer and wanted him burned at the stake. The prince wouldn't let that happen. Merlin was his servant after all. Though admittedly he was probably the worst servant Arthur had ever had. Actually, the prince didn't want to save Merlin because he was his servant, there were a million other servants like Merlin out there. But that was exactly the point. Because no, there were no servants like Merlin out there. Every other servant would always stick to their respectful behaviour, never questioning what Arthur is doing, never even once do as much as to think about disobeying his orders. 

Merlin was different. He didn't care who Arthur was and didn't just blindly follow orders. If he thought Arthur was wrong about something, he said it. Merlin ignored most of Arthur's orders and he behaved like Arthur wasn't the Prince of Camelot. Hell, he even insulted him, although it was just mockery. Yes, it was really irritating at times but to be honest with himself, he valued that a lot. He always had to be the perfect prince around other people because that was what they expected of him. But not with Merlin. He could stop being the crown prince around him and he enjoyed every second of it. 

That was why Arthur didn’t see Merlin as his servant. 

He was his friend. Probably the best friend he had ever had if he was honest with himself. 

And that's why he wouldn't watch him burn. 

He'd smuggle Merlin out of Camelot, no matter the cost.

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, thank you for reading!
> 
> This is my first work so I'd really appreciate some feedback. Since English isn't my first language, please feel free to point out any typos, weird expressions and grammatical errors. If someone is interested in beta-reading my work, please tell me.
> 
> I haven't written a second chapter yet and I'm not sure how soon I'll be updating this. Or, knowing me, if I'll update it at all. *cough* The title is a working title for now and I might change it later if I find something more fitting.
> 
> (By the way, should there be any similarities between my story and an other story I assure you, it's completely unintentional. In case it should bother you, tell me.)
> 
> Disclaimer: None of the characters (except the ones that didn't appear in the show) are my own. They all belong to BBC. Merely the plot is mine and I don't earn money with this.


End file.
